Meet The Team

We never forget that making, selling and enjoying wine requires a team effort. Our most important activity is finding, hiring, training and keeping top-flight employees. We pride ourselves in the versatile family of hard-workers we’ve grown here. All are passionate about wine, all are foodies, and all bring a diversity of experience to Cathedral Ridge Winery. Active and in love with the Columbia River Gorge, we work closely together to bring you the best the Gorge has to offer in wines.
Rhett Head Winery Dog

Rhett

Head Winery Dog

No winery is complete without a winery dog! Rhett is a great friend and a champion pointing Labrador retriever. Anyone who thinks dogs can’t communicate and understand humans has to meet Rhett. Amazingly intelligent, he is joyous in the field and at home with his faithful companion, Robb. He is as complicated and nuanced as few creatures can be!

Robb Bell Cellar Master

Robb Bell

Cellar Master / Owner

Robb Bell is the Cellar Master and Owner who had a long career in consumer package goods and strategic business consulting before he saw an opportunity for change and bought a very small winery from his neighbor Don Flerchinger in 2003. Robb spends about half his time on winemaking and grape finding activities and the other half on managing the many other facets of the winery. He is proud to declare that a very experienced and capable team backs him in every area.

Michael Sebastiani Master Winemaker

Michael Sebastiani

Master Winemaker

Michael is our Master Winemaker and a fourth generation winemaker of the Sebastiani family. Winemaking is in his blood. He grew up making wine and went to University of California at Davis to complete the winemaking program. He went on to become the youngest Head Winemaker at Viansa Winery and did a magnificent job. He currently owns and operates the Generations of Sonoma Winery in Sonoma, California, which sells fine wines throughout the United States. We are privileged to have him make wine for us at Cathedral Ridge. He visits Hood River regularly to make sure all is well and lend his special brilliance to our blending and winemaking activities.

Tyler McCafferty Production Manager

Tyler McCafferty

Production Manager

Tyler McCafferty is our Winery and Vineyard Operations Lead. Tyler brings a tireless enthusiasm and good cheer to his job. He is currently attending college to get his degree and is taking winemaking classes, from which we will all benefit.

Gina Van Hoose Wine Club and Shipping Manager

Gina Van Hoose

Wine Club and Shipping Manager

Gina is complete sunshine and never forgets a customer. She too, is very passionate about her wine and is also a fantastic cook and entertainer; as almost all of our team-members are. Her style and enthusiasm set the tone for our winery and are a critical component of the success we enjoy serving customers and our wine club.

Sandy Ison

Manager, Dundee and Carlton

With many years in the wine industry, Sandy shares her prolific wine knowledge and oversees the Willamette Valley operations for Cathedral Ridge Winery. Sandy has been essential in creating and spearheading two tasting rooms in Dundee and Carlton, Oregon. She has crafted a team of wine enthusiasts to ensure every tasting experience is exemplary and memorable for our guests. Customer service oriented with charm and sincerity Sandy provides top-notch wine tasting experiences and memorable private tastings for our beloved wine club members.

Francisco Chairez Assistant Winemaker

Francisco Chairez

Assistant Winemaker

Our rock is Francisco, the Assistant Winemaker and the go-to guy for all the ins and outs of operations. Francisco has been with Cathedral Ridge since the beginning. He had worked for the previous winery, Flechinger’s and we were blessed to have had him come work for us. We count on Francisco to keep us doing the right things. Many members of his family have worked here helping us from picking to pruning and bottling to labeling. We are very fortunate to have this beautiful spirit on our side.